already thanksgiving?

i am having a hard time believing it is the week of thanksgiving. maybe it is the deep sleep i just woke up from (big time nap today) but all of the sudden it is thanksgiving and i feel like i missed an entire season. let's call it fall. i know i didn't actually miss it, in fact, i had the chance to see quite a bit of it up close and personal on walks and hikes. but thanksgiving? this snuck up on me too quickly.

jim and dad made snack mix today, a sure sign of the impending holiday. dad used to just make it for christmas, but somewhere along the way, i think while i was in college, he started making it earlier. it was such a huge treat to bring some back to state college with me and i would have to carefully ration it to make it through studying for finals. usually a second batch would be made, and always a box or a bag of it would make its way to the hampster for new years or psoc festivities. it is a perfect gourmet treat for long car drives.

another omen of the holidays (this is, afterall, my favorite time of the year) is the annual thanksgving dinner at katy and jason's. this year we had a stellar spread, the hightlight of which were sam's sweet potatoes. i never really like sweet potatoes, but these ones had a cruchy pecan and crumb topping that was incredible. i ate two scoops. i need the beta carotene. and i think a sweet potato is a vegetable, and i need veggies, right? right. bring on the seconds. ignore the fact that they were totally butter laden. anyway, it was a great chance to catch up with some friends, most of whom i've known since the high school years (and middle school, too). mom likes to point out that at this point in our lives we've known each other longer than we didn't know each other (i moved here when i was 12) and that is a big deal to a kid that moved around a lot. and 14 years is a long time for anything, really.

last but not least this weekend i even got to see adam and dave, two more friends from home. i can't remember the last time i saw them, and it was nice to catch up. we went out to lunch and it was fun to sit and listen to the two of them; it is just like old times sometimes. the banter between them is just like it has always been, and it made me really happy that these old friends would take time to come hang out with me. i really am lucky to have so many people looking out for me.

so, thanksgiving. i have a lot of thanks to give this year, so it is a good thing i got started early. the thanking should last all week. heck, it happens every day. but it IS always better with a turkey involved. especially an organic free range one. what's good for the cancer patient is good for everyone!